New statutory instrument

Three new statutory instruments published today, none of which are likely to make anyone faint with excitement! They are...

• The Employment Code of Practice (Industrial Action Ballots and Notice to Employers) Order 2000 (SI 2000/2241) - brings the revised Code of Practice on Industrial Action Ballots and Notice to Employers into force on 18th September 2000

• The Employment Relations Act 1999 (Commencement No. 7 and Transitional Provisions) Order 2000 (SI 2000/2242) - brings into force the right to be accompanied at disciplinary and grievance proceedings on 4th September. Yet another statutory instrument published after it comes into force! An important transitional provision - it does not apply if the worker is invited or required to attend a hearing before 4th September.

• The Employment Code of Practice (Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures) Order 2000 (SI 2000/2247) - brings into force the new ACAS Code on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures (also being published a week late!)

Copies of all three statutory instruments are attached (reproduced with permission of Her Majesty's Stationery Office).

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2. Employment Tribunal Decision in Verdi v Metropolitan Police

Susan Belgrave of Coram Chambers (Counsel for Mr Verdi) has sent me the transcript of the above case, which achieved some notoriety recently in the press.

In a nutshell, Mr Verdi was an Asian police officer. He, along with a white female officer, was suspected of sending racist hate mail to other officers. However, whilst she was interviewed three times without being arrested, Mr Verdi was not interviewed until after his arrest. Moreover, his house was searched for 8 hours using the POLSA team (the police search squad, usually used for anti-terrorist searches), and the police deliberately disclosed Mr Verdi's ethnicity in an attempt to redress an impression of inter-racial hostitlity within the force.

After an 18 day hearing, the employment tribunal found (by way of inference) that the different treatment of Mr Verdi was on grounds of his race.

If anyone would like a copy of the transcipt (warning - 41 pages!), please contact Susan Belgrave on susan.belgrave@coramchambers.co.uk